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i E. SHERiFF.

GUN CARTRIDGE.

- APPLICATION FILED AUG. 14. I915.

1,195,175 Patented Aug. 15, 1011s.

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J ED SHERIFF, OF STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT.

GUN-CARTRIDGE.

Specification of'Letters 1 am.

Patented Aug. 15, 1916.

Application filed August 14, 1915. Serial N 0. 45,514.

To all: whom may mm Be it known that I, J-ED SHERIFF, a cit1- -Zen of the United States, and resident of Stamford, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have-invented a new and useful Improvement in Gun-Cartridges, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to gun cartridges and particularly to that class of cartridge which is used in so-called -machine guns or in hand Weapons having substantially the bore of an ordinary shot-gun.

These cartridges are commonly made from a shell of fiber, such as pasteboard or papier-mache, and the particular objects of the invention relate to the powder chamber, the wads and the missile, rather than to the composition or shape of the shell itself.

One of the objects is to provide a powder chamber of fixed volume or capacity so that the explosive contained therein may always be packed with a predetermined density, which result is not obtained when the wad or wads is or are jammed down directly .upon the charge of powder or other explosive.

Another object is to provide a missile of novel shape and, particularly, a plurality of said missiles.

A, further object is to provide a wad composed of relatively hard material, such as metal, interposed between the powder chamher and the missiles. 4

A still further object relates to the provision of acup-shaped wad for sealing or" closing the outer end of the powder chamber.

Another object is to make certain impro'venients in the form, construction and arrangement of the several constituent elements whereby the above and further objects may be efiectively carried out.

l practical embodiment of my invention is represented in the accompanying drawings, in whichare 1 represents a-longitudinal section through the complete cartridge, Fig. 2 reprea rear View thereof, Fig. 3 representsa front view thereof, Fig. 4: represents a transverse section-taken in the plane of the line A-A of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows, Fig. 5 represents a section taken in the plane of the line 13-13 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows, Fig. 6

represents an end .view of the spacer, Fig. 7

represents a face view of the metallic wad,

' Fig. 8 represents a view similar to Fig. 1,

showing a modified form, Fig. 9 represents a rear view of the form shown in Fig. 8, Fig. 10 represents afront view thereof, Fig. 11 represents a section taken in the plane 'of the line CC of Fig. 8, looking in the direction of the arrows, and Fig. 12 represents a section taken in the plane of the line D-D of F1g. 8, looking in the direction of the arrows.

The cartridge comprises an outer casing -or shell 1 which may be composed of any 1 well known or customary material, such, for

instance, as a fibrous composition like pasteboard or paprer-mach. This shell 1 has the customary remforcing piece 2 at the rear end thereof which may be composed of some relatively strong material, such, for instance, as sheet brass. This piece 2 has the ordinary peripheral flange 8 for the purpose of holding the shell against forward movement in the barrel of the weapon, and is also centrally depressed into a-recess for receiving the usual percussion cap 4.

All the foregoing is in accordance with well known and ,approved practice, and forms no part f this invention.

Referring to'the preferred form shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive; the rear portion of the shell 1, which constitutes the so-called powder chamber 5, has a pair of longitudinally disposed partitions or abutments, 6, 7, I

of two pieces, one set on each side of the partition 7, but this particular arrangement of the partition is not important.

For sealing or closing the outer or for-' ward endof the powder chamber, I provide a cup-shaped wad ,8, which is arranged with its peripheral flange. (which gives it the cup shape) projecting toward the rear of the shell; while the forward ends of the partitions 6, 7, are reduced for a slight distance in order to pass into and engage the bottom or central portion of the cup-shaped wad 8.

It will be seen, from the foregoing description, that the partitions 6, and 7, serve as an abutment to limit the rearward mow/31 ment of the wad 8, and also support or touch used is not essential.

for example, mtro or smokeless powder), is

packed in the chamber 5; or, in other words,

to predetermine the amount of explosive within a given volume of the shell. Therefore,'I obtain a uniformity of exploding pressure which has not, been obtained in the former methods of packing down the ward directly against the powder, as well as other beneficial results in firing, incidental thereto.

Furthermore, by utilizing a wad of cup shape, I am enabled to obtaln the necessary strength with a relatively small amount of.

space being occupied by the wad; while the arrangement of the abutments (3, 7 cooperates in this respect by firmly supporting the thin cup-shaped wad 8 against distortion, during the loading of the cartridge.

It will be understood that this wad 8 may be composed of the customary fibrous material, although the particular substance Exterior to it or forward of the wad 8, I locate one or more d.sk-shaped fibrous wads 9; and still further forward place a relatively thin disk-shaped wad 10, which latter is composed of some material, which is relatively hard with respect to thematerial of which the wad S is composed, and preferably consists of metal, such as iron. This hard metallic wad l0 serves not only to support the wad 8 against undue outward central distortion upon the discharge of the shell, but also prevents the wad 8 and the wad 9 (if the latter is present) from becoming impaled upon the rear ends of the missiles, which latter will be presently described. This is a desirable point for the reason that, should the wads S and 9, either or both, stick upon the rearof the missiles, such condition would tend to prevent the separation or scattering of the missiles, and consequently reduce the effective area of the charge from the point of view of the striking or hitting function. This wad 10 is provided with a pointed car 10* which is struck therefrom so as to project laterally, and is calculated to stick into the fibrous wad 9 for the purpose of holding the wads 9 and 10 together.

The missile which I provide, and which is denoted by 11, consists of an elongated arrow-like body, as distinguished from a ball; and preferably has What may be described as a streamline contour, being shaped substan tially like the conventional form of a torpedo. In other words, the missile or projectile is pointed at the front end and reduced or tapered rearwardly from its greatest cross terior longitudinally disposed fins or ridges,

- in the present instance four, which serve to guide the projectile in its flight. The missile may becomposed of anywell known or suitable material, such, as steel, iron, lead, and the like.

This particular shape of the missile not only gives it an unusual range and effectiveness, owing to the reduced resistance to its )assa e throu h the air and throu h the b 23 b body of the target; but also causes it to assume and mamtain an effective angle or position throughout its flight, by reason of the fact (in addition to the shape thereof) that the center of gravity is located forward of the center of the figure. This latter fact causes the front end of the missile to remain in front and prevents tumbling; the rear portion of the missile acting rather as the tail thereof than as a part of the main body. I prefer to use a plurality of these missiles 11 in a single shell, and to have them independent of each other in order that they may scatter, and thereby increase the striking or hitting area. In order to further insure the scattering of the missiles, or rather to prevent them from sticking together, I provide a spacer 11*. This spacer may conveniently be composed of some sheet material, either metallic or fibrous, and, in the form salown, is shaped like a pointed star so t iat it is adapted to be placed at the rear end of the group of seven missiles 1]., the tail of one missile being within the periphery of the spacer and the tails of the other six missiles resting in the six exterior grooves between the points. It will be understood, however, that the particular shape or composition of this spacer is not important, as any such article which is designed to hold the missiles apart will serve the purpose.

Some convenient means is provided for constricting or crimping the front or open end of the shell, 1, and I choose to do this by reducing the diameter of the shell at a point closely adjacent the open end thereof, as clearly shown in Fig. l, and applying asuitabout.

. Referring to the modified form shown in Figs. 8 to 12 inclusive, the difierences consist in that the powder chamber is composed of a thimble-like receptacle 1% which fits within the rear portion of the shell 1. The forward ends of this receptacle l4 constitute a peripheral abutment for ordinary disklike wads 15. The front or open end of the shell linstead of being creased and bound with wire, is crimped over in the usual manner and award 16, preferably composed of some hard material, such as sheet metal, serves to close the shell instead of permitting the missiles to slightly protrude, as shown in the preferred form. This reason for composing this wad 16 of some hard substance,

such as metal, is to prevent the missiles 11 from sticking thereto, which might tend to hamper their spreading.

It will be nderstood that various changes may be resorted to in the form, construction, composition and arrangement/of the several parts without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention; and hence I do not between the chamber and: the missiles,

whereby the missiles will all be properly ejected upon the firing of the shell and the wad will not become fixed to the rear ends of the missiles.

2. A gun cartridge comprising a shell nsane? having a powder chamberof fixed volume therein, a plurality of arrow-like torpedoshaped'missiles in the shell, the said missiles being arranged in the shell with their axes parallel to each other, and a wad of hard material between the chamber and the missiles, whereby the missiles will all be properly' ejected upon the firing ofthe shelland thewad will not become fixed to the rear ends of the missiles.

3. A guncartridge comprising a shell-having a powder chamber therein, a plurality of arrow-like torpedo-shaped missiles in the shell, the said missiles being arranged in the shell with their axes parallel to each other, means for holding the missiles in said parallel arrangement, and a wad of hard material between the chamber and the missiles, whereby the missiles will all be properly ejected upon the firing of the shell and the wad will not become fixed to the rear ends ot the missiles.

4, A gun cartridge comprising a shell having a powder chamber therein, a plurality of arrow-like torpedo-shaped missiles in the shell, the said missiles being arranged in the shell with their axes parallel to each other, means located within and between the'rear ends-of themissiles for holding them in said parallel arrangement, and a wad of hard material between the chamber and the missiles, whereby the missiles will all be properly ejected upon the firing of the shell and the wad will not become fixed tothe rear ends of the missiles.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name this seventh day of August 1915.

- J at SHERIFF. 

